All posts by Silvia

Is this the future of retail shops?

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At the last National Retail Federation Convention, Intel showed an interactive, 7-foot-6-inch Intel® Intelligent Digital Signage Concept with an LCD display and holographic glass called adiVerse to demonstrate how technology can enhance the retail customer experience with a multi-touch, multi-user interface.

Intel partnered with Adidas to show off what the wall might look like, and the results are pretty sweet. Designed by U.K. shop Start Creative, the wall renders products in 3-D, and allows a shopper to spin and zoom in on the shoes, and call up specs from a touch-screen display. Particularly hot models, like the company’s F50 soccer shoe, have accompanying video and relevant information (like the fact that F50-clad feet scored 44 goals in last year’s World Cup).

Supplemented by a supply of actual shoes that can serve as fit models, the display wall allows retailers to deliver massive inventory in a relatively small space. “We’ve leveled the playing field for small retailers,” says Chris Aubrey, VP, Global Retail Marketing for Germany-based Adidas. “They can now act like a big flagship store in a town like New York.” Not to mention the fact that the installation turns flat walls into prime selling space.

Concept demonstrates how digital signage technology can provide retailers with a competitive advantage, and how it can impact customer loyalty by providing targeted, interactive content to consumers. (Source:Fastcompany)

Two social media tools for retailers: local buzzing with enterprise control.

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We often talk about social media, buzz marketing and online reputation. Big corporations can find it quite difficult to control and “direct” all the related online communication, especially when this is done at local level – agents, retailers, franchises. But now there are platforms that can help corporations achieve great results with just a couple of clicks.

Yesterday I stumbled upon an interesting Tweet by Mashable, regarding a new startup, Hearsay, whose product – Hearsay Social- is a social media management platform, that gives companies with a national presence and local agents or franchises the ability to manage all of their social media in one place. Hearsay calls organizations that fit this mold “corporate/local.” Hersay Social is a web-based software that a corporation and its local branches can use to coordinate their social media efforts. The dashboard gives local agents or franchises the ability to manage their own local Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. It also also gives corporations the ability to monitor local engagement. Not only can they access detailed analytics for all of their agents, they can also catch when they step out of line. Hearsay clients list includes State Farms whose case study is availaible online.  Here’s an interesting video about the product features.

Another software that can help companies achieve the same result: Expion. Expion provides Social Media Management Software that enables large Enterprises to publish and aggregate social media conversations that can scale to hundreds of local based Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and YouTube channels, etc. This software allows maximum employee social reach within a company’s defined social guardrails, allows for employees across all your locations or departments to deliver coordinated and consistent brand appropriate messaging. At the same time Expion’s unified database aggregates and tracks all employee and customer social interactions. This centralized intelligence will profile customers, identify advocates and critics, track behaviors and create best employee practices, while measuring effectiveness of messaging for continued optimization. Expion is already used by Coldwell Banker Advantage, Applebees’s Restaurants and Mark’s among the many

ECOFFEE’s green guerrilla: here’s the proof!!

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Well, there is not so much to add to this great video showing the backstage of our ECOFFEE green guerrilla action during last SIGEP. Spread the video, spread sustainability!

Gelati stores do not suffer from economic crisis

DESITA, Fresh Worldwide Press, retail food, , , , , , , , , ,

'Ice cream stores do not suffer from crisis, rather they are growing and reCourtesy of savethedate.itpresent a major job opportunity, especially for young generations'. This was stated at Sigep by Ferdinando Buonocore, the president of the Comitato Nazionale per la difesa e la diffusione del gelato artigianalethe (Italian National Committee for the defense of the artisanal ice cream industry). 'In the world – he added – there are 60 000 gelati store, of which only 32 000 in Italy'.
On March 9th there will be the third Ice Cream Day at the European Parliament in Strasbourg (ANSA)

The Ecoacquisti Trentino brand has finally born

DESITA, ECOFFEE, ecology, Fresh Worldwide Press, packaging, retail food, sustainability, , , , , , , ,

The Ecoacquisti Trentino project aims to the reduction of the waste produced in Retail Stores and raises awareness on a more environmental friendly purchase in more than 100 outlets in the city of Trento area (Italy)

But what does it mean in practice "eco shopping?" Means that in the stores that have received this certification you can find canvas bags or other reusable materials, empty cartons to bring your purchases at home, rechargeable batteries, cold cuts and cheese in a ply-separable paper, fruits and vegetables packaged in compostable bags, bottles of water, wine or milk can be purchased in re-fillable containers.You can alsobuy food with special discounts in last-minute market or donate them to charitable organizations.

The project aims to the reduction of the amount of waste, the promotion of recycling practises, requires a constant audit of the POS and sustains educational projects through school and extracurricular activities. (Courtesy of Alternativa Sostenibile)

A consumer point of view on sustainable coffee

coffee shops, ECOFFEE, Fresh Worldwide Press, retail food, sustainability, , , , , , ,

Food Retailers sometimes wonder why consumers should have to prefer organic, sustainable coffee instead of the more “known and traditional” brands. We found this interesting article written by Johnathon D. Colman, a coffee snob, who explaines why he chooses sustainable coffee, and it can be summerized with his sentence: life is too short to drink bad caffeine!

Here are some other tips suggested by the Playgreen blog:

  • Look for Organically Grown Coffee
  • Buy Fair Trade Certified Coffee
  • Purchase ‘Shade Grown’ Coffee
  • Buy Locally Grown Coffee 

We think these are all greats article to show to all Food Retailers who are not yet sure that the key to future success in this business is.

Fashion Retail: is Green cool? A IUM research insight

ecology, Fresh Worldwide Press, retail fashion, sustainability, , , , , , , , , , , ,

A new research carried out at IUM shows that “green fashion” is more appealing to North Americans than to Europeans. This is largely due to North Americans’ perception that green fashion consumers are young, trendy and self-confident and not unsophisticated, as Europeans see these same consumers.Gear Patrol: green fashion is not just a colour

Researchers found that environmental protection, health impact and ethical concerns most motivate consumers to purchase green fashion although the interest is merely moderate.
 
“Although consumers are ready to pay a premium to purchase organic food, they do not yet see the interest in organic fashion,” said Sandrine Ricard, Vice-President of IUM and part of the research team. “There is a need to better inform consumers about the nature of organic fashion and to continue ‘glamorizing’ both the communication and the products.”
 
Researchers found that North Americans perceive green fashion more favorably, in part because eco-clothing brands have been launched by celebrities, such as the brand, Edun, run by Bono and his wife. North Americans associate green fashion with a woman in her 20’s, simple but sexy, who wears organic shoes and clothing.
 
On the other hand, European respondents perceive organic fashion consumers as unglamorous. A typical consumer would be a simple woman in her 40’s, wealthy, having a healthy lifestyle but unsophisticated. Because organic products are more expensive, Europeans associate organic with social status and showing-off.
 
The research team also concluded that the concept of green fashion is not clear to the majority of respondents. Consumers seem lost in the exact meaning of green fashion and lack information on norms and processes. In Europe, green fashion must become more attractive to the young generation to be a viable consumer option. (Image courtesy of  Gear Patrol blog)

The Green Key arrives in Italy, for more sustainable hospitality infrastructures

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The Green Key is a Danish eco-label for all tourist accommodations (hotels, campsites, hostels, farmhouses, cottages and bed & breakfast) interested in reducing their environmental impact in the area .The hospitality structure that is interested in receiving the Green Key Certification must not only comply to a set of environmental, management (i.e. policies and impact assessment), food and product criteria, but also introduce a sustainable use of water and energy resources and waste management in its everyday workflow and operations.
We are sure that this is only the first step to raise the sustainability of Italy’s hospitality structures, which are now not really aligned to the eco-sustainable International standards.

What a sustainable Coffee retailer can do? Climbing mountains!

coffee shops, ecology, Fresh Worldwide Press, retail food, sustainability, , , , , , , ,

This is quite an interesting story that shows you a great way for raising awareness about climate change and global warming. Ishand Natalie, the national beverage manager for Woolworths Café and TriBeCa Coffee Roasting Company  is a member of a team from Woolworths and that was expected to summit the 5 895m Uhuru Peak (Tanzania) today. The expedition is set to arise the awareness on the effect that the mountain’s melting ice is having on coffee farmers in Tanzania, who grow the organic coffee that Woolworths sells in its cafés (courtesy of IOL lifestyle)

Sometimes when we drink our morning coffee cup we are not aware of all universe that is in that cup – luckily there are companies and people who are starting to spread the word of sustainability and responsibility also in the Coffee Retail market.

When marketing and sustainability strategies are not aligned: the new trend among USA Food Retailers

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We are just reporting the new trend among USA Food Retailers as in AzCentral.com.

“Phoenix-area coffee junkies who have grown immune to Starbucks' maximum 24-ounce jolt now can boost their caffeine intake by 30 percent without loading up on extra shots. About 280 Starbucks locations in the Phoenix area are now serving the new Trenta (Italian for 30) drinks and report they are catching on quickly….. Competitors McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts already offer 32-ounce iced coffee and tea drinks. McDonald's, an increasingly aggressive competitor of Starbucks, sells a 32-ounce iced sweet-tea drink for $1”

All comments are more than welcomed!